A property in the Fifth Ward may be redeveloped for single family houses, as the area once ravaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and by crime in the '70s and '80s undergoes a transformation.

Fenway Developments Inc., a Frank Liu partnership, is planning to build single family homes in the Fifth Ward, and the former Many Diversified Interests Inc. (MDI) Superfund property, which is about 36 acres, is a viable option for the plan.

"Several planning concepts are being explored, which include affordable housing and market rate components. One affordable housing concept that is being explored is scattered site development, which is considered a ‘best practice’ because it is ‘owner driven’ and more sustainable," Liu said.

Houses will be priced at "affordable and market rates," Liu said.

The developer is also exploring ways to make the development more walkable. A portion of the houses are proposed for the MDI site, as well as other locations in the Fifth Ward. Plans don't include multifamily development. Liu would not elaborate on further details.

After three years of complex negotiations, Clinton Gregg Investments, owned by Liu, acquired the tract in Houston's Fifth Ward out of bankruptcy in 2006. The purchase price was $1.2 million, plus $6.7 million for remediation work monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency. Liu was the first developer in the country to purchase an EPA Superfund site by agreeing to personally pay for cleaning up contamination.

Single family housing inventory is at an all-time low in Houston, leaving some to wonder: Is the Fifth Ward the next neighborhood to watch? With its comparatively lower real estate prices and a higher unemployment rate for residents, it may become a prime spot for gentrification.

That concerns Robert Meaney, an executive committee member of the Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood Council, a community action group charged with helping to revitalize the area.

“The Fifth Ward, along with Frank Liu, is pursuing a proposed scattered plot of affordable housing that will incorporate unique architecture and focuses on the long-term development of the community to ensure that there is little displacement as the area is gentrified,” Meaney said.

Once known as the “Bloody Nickel” because of the violent crime in the area, the Fifth Ward seems to be making a comeback. Last year, no murders were recorded in the area, and crime has quickly been dropping.

In addition to new single family houses on tap, t he city recently broke ground on a project that will bring the historic DeLuxe Theatre on Lyons Avenue back to life. In a partnership between the city, Texas Southern University and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Authority, the once popular movie house is being converted to a 125-seat performing arts theater, with classroom space, a laboratory and space for future retail development.